Qin Yi had a dream.
In the dream, he was curled up in the rain, waiting alone for death to come. Suddenly, an angel appeared, calling to him again and again, urging him to live on.
When he opened his eyes, what entered his view was an unfamiliar ceiling. The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant. Qin Yi instinctively wrinkled his nose, a little uncomfortable.
“Is this heaven… or hell?”
He muttered to himself and was about to sit up when a pair of warm hands gently pushed him back down onto the bed.
“Neither, little brother. This is a clinic.”
The woman, dressed like a doctor, wore a gentle smile on her face. “You’re getting an IV drip right now, so don’t move. Otherwise, the blood might shoot out—whoosh. Have you ever seen blood spray out before?”
Only then did Qin Yi notice the IV needle in the back of his right hand.
“I…” Qin Yi lowered his head and opened his mouth, stammering, “I… I don’t have any money…”
“Oh come on, it’s just a bag of glucose—how much could it possibly cost?”
Kong Xinrui, as if sensing Qin Yi’s discomfort, gently placed her palm on his forehead.
Warmth—that was the first sensation Qin Yi felt.
“My favorite thing is helping others,” she said softly, “and someone already paid for you.”
Hearing that, Qin Yi suddenly recalled what he had seen in his dream. He was just about to ask something when Kong Xinrui glanced outside and pouted her lips toward the door.
“There, she’s here.”
Just as she finished speaking, the sound of hurried footsteps followed.
Soon, a beautiful face appeared in Qin Yi’s vision.
His eyes widened.
The woman wore a white dress. Her long, shiny black hair hung loosely over her shoulders. Though there were some raindrops on her face, it didn’t hide her flawless, makeup-free beauty.
It was clearly the first time he had ever seen her, yet Qin Yi felt a strange sense of familiarity—as if he had known her all along, and a warmth he had never felt before rose in his chest.
It was like… the angel from his dream.
“Angel?” Qin Yi blurted out instinctively.
The woman who had just entered paused, seemingly caught between laughing and crying.
“Mhm, I also think Rumeng really looks like an angel,” Kong Xinrui chimed in supportively.
“Xinrui, stop joking,” Gu Rumeng rolled her eyes at Kong Xinrui helplessly, then pulled up a chair and sat beside Qin Yi’s bed. She placed the bag she had brought on the bedside table. “Little brother, I’m no angel. My name is Gu Rumeng. If you don’t mind, you can just call me Sister Rumeng.”
“Okay,” Qin Yi returned to his senses and softly said, “Thank you, Sister Rumeng.”
“You’re welcome.”
Gu Rumeng smiled gently, then took out a thermal container from the bag. “The doctor said you’re malnourished, possibly even a bit hypoglycemic. You probably haven’t eaten much today, right? I went home and cooked something for you. It was too late to buy groceries, so I could only make some porridge and boiled eggs with what I had at home. Don’t mind it being simple.”
As she spoke, she helped Qin Yi sit up against the headboard, then opened the container, scooped a spoonful of porridge, and gently blew on it several times.
After making sure it wasn’t too hot, she brought the spoon to Qin Yi’s lips.
“Come on, open up. Ahh~~”
Qin Yi, who had never been fed by anyone before, immediately froze, unsure of what to do.
“I… I… I can do it myself…”
He tried to lift his hand, but Kong Xinrui gently pressed it down.
“You’re hooked up to an IV. Don’t move. Just let the angel sister feed you.”
“What angel… don’t say nonsense,” Gu Rumeng said helplessly.
“I think it’s a lovely name, don’t you agree, little brother?” Kong Xinrui’s eyes curved like little crescent moons.
“Don’t listen to this crazy woman. Her head is full of weird things all day,” Gu Rumeng rolled her eyes at her and brought the spoon to Qin Yi’s lips again. “Come on, be good. Let me feed you. Open up. Ahh~~”
Qin Yi couldn’t resist Gu Rumeng’s warmth and enthusiasm, and with his arm held down, he hesitated for a long while before finally opening his mouth cautiously.
The porridge was warm, a little bland, but somehow it had a unique and comforting flavor he had never tasted before.
As he ate, Qin Yi suddenly felt his nose tingle. Tears silently rolled down from the corners of his eyes.
“What’s wrong? Was it too hot? I’m sorry, I’ll blow it more next time!”
Startled, Gu Rumeng quickly apologized.
“No, it’s not hot at all. It’s really delicious! So delicious! It’s the best porridge I’ve ever had in my life!”
Qin Yi sniffled, then raised his other arm to wipe away the tears on his face and smiled.
Seeing his expression, Gu Rumeng’s heart ached deeply.
Alone on a rainy day, passed out on the side of the road.
So thin, so malnourished…
She couldn’t even imagine what this child had been through.
“Rumeng.”
Kong Xinrui, seemingly aware of something, called her with a complicated expression, “Come outside with me for a moment.”
“What’s wrong?”
Though a bit puzzled, Gu Rumeng still set the container down and reminded Qin Yi to finish the porridge obediently before following Kong Xinrui out.
“When I was inserting the IV needle earlier, I lifted his clothes a bit to check,” Kong Xinrui took a deep breath, “That child’s body is covered in scars. A lot of them were from cigarette burns. And do you know how thin he is? Skin and bones. Just skin and bones.”
Hearing this, Gu Rumeng instinctively looked through the glass at Qin Yi, who was drinking porridge while wiping his tears. Her heart twisted with pain.
What kind of family could treat their own child like that?